Vexar Warband
Of the different raider groups that make up the Decimators, the Vexar Warband is presently the strongest. The effective leaders of the Decimators, Vexar rose to prominence through years of careful preparation, patience and the willingness to play the long game. Now, after all that time and effort, their position is almost unassailable. History Founding The origins of Vexar, like the other Decimator Warbands, lies with Dexter Malek’s conclave of raider leaders in 2202. He successfully sold them on his ideas of a unified culture and mythology, creating something that would not only be so powerful as to be unstoppable, but also with a unity and self-perpetuating culture that would ensure its ongoing existence. Of those gathered at this meeting, Jack Hunter, a mercenary and Raider, was possibly the most ‘civilised’ of the potential leaders. He recognised what Malek was doing, and became an enthusiastic supporter of his ideals. Malek recognised this loyalty, and rewarded it thusly. Hunter was among those elevated to his inner circle, bestowed with a name of power drawn from their mythology, and appointed leader of one of his warbands. Thus Hunter became Vexar, the titular leader of the warband in question, given free reign to shape it as he wished as long as he remained within those boundaries established by Malek at their foundation. Unlike some of the other warbands who quickly expanded by aborbing and conquering what they would, Vexar’s initial growth was slow but deliberate. Rather then risk overextending himself and his soldiers or drowning themselves in a sea of rabble for the sake of inflating numbers, Vexar chose to carefully select those territories he expanded into and who he took onboard. The result was that Vexar was, for many years, the second smallest and slowest to grow after only Exaxes. However, at the same time, it was far more cohesive and capable, and avoided the problems that troubled many of the early warbands (Such as the internal strife that nearly tore apart Tigon in its first years). In 2205, the Vexar warband conquered the small trading town of Grass Crossing, taking it as their own. Renaming it Skull Rock, Vexar declared that this place would be the seat of their power as they expanded across the wastelands. Unlike many other warbands, Vexar did his utmost to keep the existing economy intact, knowing that the short-term gain from pillaging and plundering would be offset in the long-term by a functioning economy. Allies By 2208, the Vexar controlled a small island of territory in Minnesota, one that was dwarfed by those of the other warbands. They did continue to expand, albiet still slower then the others, but ahead of Exaxes. While the two were not directly competing, it did seem odd that while Vexar had deliberately hampered its growth to plan for the future, no apparent reason could be found as to why Exaxes was lagging behind. Curious as to why this was, Vexar took the step of privately approaching his fellow warcheif to learn more about this apparent shortcoming. What he found surprised him as he learned that the Exaxes were instead focusing on technology over territory, seeking to expand their understanding of it. They had already quietly eclipsed the other Decimators in terms of technological capabilities, boasting a greater arsenal of pre-war tech then any of the others. Furthermore, they were making strides in the field of robotics, something that was otherwise outside of the Decimators’ capabilities. Taking all this on board, Vexar and Exaxes came to an agreement. The two warbands would avoid directly competing with each other, and would instead aid each other in their efforts to expand. Vexar would turn over high-tech equipment or salvage they found to Exaxes in exchange for caps, salves or even weapons. This way, the two would aid each other, and discretely raise themselves above the other warbands (save for the ‘prime’, Decimaxx, which was the first among equals). With this alliance in place, the two began to grow and expand far faster then they had before, each aiding the other in their goals. The biggest test of the fledgling Decimators came in 2210 with the death of Orbar in battle. As per Deccimaxx’s plans for the future, a new leader was elevated from within their ranks, becoming Orbar (II). Knowing that he was the oldest of the warlords, and not wanting to take any risks with his own succession, Vexar discretely selected several members of his own warband whom he thought had the potential to be their next leader, and began to quietly train them up to one day take his place. Change of seasons As the Decimators grew, each warband would experience their own triumphs and setbacks on their road to power. Victories and defeats were commonplace as they all rose to power, with those around them beginning to realise just what they were facing, Initially, few outside the Decimators realised that they were a unified culture or even connected. Once they understood the true nature of the Decimators, organised opposition became more common as many tried to stop what they saw as a hostile tribal force trying to take control of the state. Despite their planning, the Vexar were not immune to setbacks by any means. One of the most critical came in 2215, when the warband attempted to attack the town of Pine Circle, far east of their normal travels. Expecting to face just peasants armed with makeshift guns, they were surprised to instead be confronted by a well-armed, dug in force. Competently led and using the terrain to their advantage, the town’s defenders forced the Vexar invasion back with substantial casualties. This loss was especially shocking, as the invasion force had been lead by Gregory Kramer, one of Vexar’s potential successors. This placed Vexar in a quandry; he had to appear strong, both to his men and the other Decimators, and punish Kramer for his failure. At the same time, he did not want to risk losing what he saw as a valuable lieutenant. As a compromise, Vexar had Kramer exiled to Marcos Island, a barren stretch of dirt in the middle of a lake, declaring it to be a trial by ordeal. Should Kramer survive, he would be forgiven of his mistakes and welcomed back to the warband. And should he fail, it would be clear that he was not fit to be a member of the warband, let alone to lead it. Ultimately, Kramer survived the island, and was welcomed back to the Vexar and returned to his place at their leader’s side. And while Kramer would die two years later in battle, his exile set up what would become a part of the Warband’s culture. Marcos Island would continue to be used by the warband as a means of punishing those who failed them but yet had the potential to be redeemed or still otherwise had some worth to them. Rebirth and war In October 2230, Vexar announced that he was stepping down from the leadership of the warband. Allready the oldest of Malek’s followers at foundation, he was in failing health and knew that he was no longer fit to take the field. Rather then becoming a liability to the warband, he chose to step down and appoint another in his place. Raylene King, one of his lieutenants, became the new warcheif, appointed as Vexar (II) with her position and title ratified by Decimax at the next convention. Vexar (II) did her utmost to continue her predecessors’ work, ensuring the steady growth of the Vexar warband through careful planning and well-measured steps. By this point, Vexar was considered to be a mid-sized warband, but thanks to the alliances and deals that its leader had made, it wielded influence well above its station. So much so that some felt that Vexar was even a rival to Decimax, the supposed ‘prime’ Warband. Instead, events would soon shift the attention away from internal politics and onto other matters. The rise of the Minnesota Militia had not gone unnoticed by the Decimators, but few realised just how large the organisation had become. Composed of an alliance of settlements and towns with mercenary backing, the Militia were an attempt to create an organised opposition to the Decimators. At the time, the Decimators dismissed them as no real threat; some such as the Nebo and Tigon even welcomed them in the hope of facing greater and more dangerous foes. Instead, what the Decimators found is that they were fighting a large, well-coordinated and well-lead force that were determined to protect their homes and end the threat of the Decimators forever. After several clashes where they suffered substantial losses, the Decimators were, for the first time forced onto the back foot against this new enemy. Given the opportunity, many of the Decimator leaders chose to simply move on, targeting regions that the militia had no control over, in essence ignoring the threat. The Exaxes and Vexar thought otherwise. The two Warbands were the ones most pushing into the territories the militia controlled, and as such, found their operations the most constrained. Furthermore, both recognised that the militia, if left unchecked, could become a threat to the Decimators as a whole. Furthermore, Exaxes (II) himself was eager for a confrontation, as if driven by some desire to prove himself and/or his warband. While she had some reservations over his leadership, Vexar and Exaxes worked together on a plan to eliminate the militia. The two would use Vexar’s superior planning and Exaxes robots (something that the militia lacked) to overwhelm and defeat their enemies. Instead, the conflict became a bloody quagmire as the militia proved to be more capable then expected, bolstered by the support of the communities they were protecting. To make matters worse, Exaxes (II) was killed early in the campaign, a victim as much of enemy fire as his own over-enthusiastic leadership. The war against the Minnesota Militia would drag on for nearly five years, ending only with its collapse from a combination of losses and exhaustion. The fighting had cost both the Exaxes and Vexar heavily, especially as the other Warbands had done little to aid them. Both were left exhausted, having lost men, material and territory. And while they had destroyed their opponents, they could not take advantage of the opportunity. Both warbands also felt more then a little resentment towards the other Decimators who had done little to help them. Vexar in particular felt that Decimaxx could have done more to actually lead his army rather then leaving only two of them to shoulder the burden. Fall of the house of Malek The biggest change for the Decimators thus far came in 2241 when Decimax chose to stand down from his position as warcheif and leader of the Decimator Warband. In his place, he appointed his son as their leader. It soon became clear, however, that Decimax (II) lacked any of his father’s abilities, and was instead simply cruising by in the position he had inherited. Vexar (II) in particular became concerned about this development, worried that this move would bring down the Decimators by destroying the culture they had been built upon. Vexar wanted to bring down Decimaxx (II), but was constrained by two things. The first was that Decimator law gave them no provision for challenging the leader of the Decimators. This was a deliberate oversight on the part of their founder, aimed at preventing infighting and power struggles. The second was the concern that any overt move could lead to her demise, or even the destruction of Vexar as a whole. As she searched around for a solution, Vexar began to quietly build resources and seek allies among those who were also dissatisfied with this new rule. The rise of the mysterious Minnesota Tribe in the 2240s served to distract the Decimators from their internal problems. While at first they were only a nuisance (and often would vanish for long periods without being seen), the Minnesota Tribe began to become bolder and more active in their actions and opposition to the Decimators. In 2249, they escalated their threat substantially through a series of battles where they humiliated the Orbar warband, costing them men, territory and most of their slaves. Vexar (II) seized on this moment by placing the blame for what had happened not at the feet of Orbar, but instead at Decimax (II). She claimed that the tribe had taken advantage of his weak leadership, and were only acting so boldly because he was unwilling to oppose them. She claimed that Decimax needed to prove his leadership and show that he was worthy of his name, his position and to lead others. Taking the bulk of his Warband, Decimaxx (II) marched on the Minnesota Tribe’s territories, intent on wiping them out. Instead, he lead them into a trap, one that saw them exterminated nearly to a man. Somehow Decimaxx (II) managed to survive the initial onslaught, only to be cut down as he tried to flee. The remaining Decimaxx raiders were surrounded and killed, the Tribe taking no prisoners. The Tribe then marched on the Decimaxx base camp, freeing their slaves, taking anything they could and burning whatever they couldn’t. The Decimaxx warband had ceased to exist, depriving the Decimators of their leadership and central pillar. Vexar (II)’s plan succeeded more then she could have hoped. And in doing such, it nearly destroyed the Decimators. The dark years Even though few had liked Decimaxx (II), his leadership was tolerated as it was one of the key foundation stones of the Decimators culture. Without it to hold them together, the Decimators began to drift apart almost immediately. Each Warband became more interested in its own affairs, cooperating only rarely. Conflicts between the groups increased, now that there was no impartial arbiter to resolve them fairly. Only Exaxes and Vexar remained allied, retaining the strong bonds that they had forged in their formative years. The pair continued their technological trade, aiding each other while deliberately avoiding any conflict between them. Using their alliance to its fullest, Vexar made several attempts to try and assert authority over the other warbands in the hope of reunifying them. Instead, her pleas fell on deaf ears as each Warband pursued its own goals and agenda with no interest in their fellows. The unifying culture was now dividing the Decimators, preventing any one group from taking power and bringing them back together. Like the other warbands, the Vexar waned during this period. Despite their best efforts, their numbers and territories shrank as their overall influence diminished. The people they had once terrorised were no longer afraid of them, with many feeling that it was simply a matter of time before the Decimators succumbed to their own malaise. Citing ill health, Vexar (II) stepped down as warcheif in 2264, appointing Thomas Reilly, her top lieutenant, as Vexar (III). Secretly, she regretted the role she had played in bringing both her warband and the Decomators as a whole to this point, something she never fully forgave herself for. Death and Rebirth Having inherited a dying warband, Vexar (III) did his best to turn it around and restore the Vexar to power. He wanted them not only to thrive again, but also to become pre-eminent among the Decimators. Despite his planning, it was other events unfolding beyond his control would see him get that opportunity. The long-standing feud between the Exaxes and the Tigon exploded at the 2265 convention, with the latter announcing their intention to invade Illinois. The Exaxes in turn advocated caution, which only seemed to drive the Tigon on and encourage them. Vexar supported their longtime ally, but as much out of their shared history as Vexar (III) himself seeing an opportunity. The invasion was a disaster, with the bulk of the Tigon warband being wiped out. Their surviving territories were promptly devoured by the other warbands, who carved them up in an opportunistic feeding frenzy. At the 2267 convention, Exaxes reported that Tigon was formally defunct, bought down not only by their own hubris, but also by the Decimators’ lack of central authoritiy. Seizing on this moment, Vexar (III) stepped up, suggesting a wide-ranging reform of their leadership that would serve to reunify the Decimators. Eager to avoid the mistakes of the past, the other Decimators agreed to his reforms. By the end of the convention (Which had been extended by several days to allow for this process), the Decimators had a leader for the first time in nearly two decades. The Orbar warband had been voted into power, prompted by their reputation for practicality and caution; in short, as boring but safe choice. Behind the scenes, Vexar (III) was pleased with the outcome, knowing that it forced somebody else to shoulder the burden of rebuilding the decimators, but also knowing that soon they would demand a more aggressive leadership. Ascension His predictions proved correct. At the 2270 convention, Vexar made his pitch to the other warcheifs. He promised them that under his lead, the Decimators would make the people of Minnesota “remember who we are”, with an aggressive, organised campaign of raiding. The other warcheifs ate it up, with Vexar being nominated for and voted in as the new Prime warband almost unanimously. Vexar proved to be true to his promises; his campaign netted the Decimators considerable wins, increasing their diminished presence while leaving no ambiguity as to their intent. However, he was also careful to avoid the Minnesota Tribe, concerned about once more bringing down their wrath. After a single term as Prime, Vexar was succeeded by Axoid in 2273, who lead the Decimators on a radical and audacious campaign. While ultimately successful, these attacks were also very costly. As such, the 2276 conference saw leadership once again go to the safe and reliable Orbar. This swinging of extremes suited Vexar well, who painted himself as a moderate between the two. He also knew that Neebo and Exaxes would never be voted in; the former was seen as too radical and unpredictable, and the latter remained unpopular due to their obsession with technology. In 2279, Vexar was once again voted as the Prime warband. Once more, Vexar (III) opened his period as warcheif with a grand campaign, one that netted the Decimators considerable loot, slaves and territory. At the same time, their numbers grew as more flocked to their side, seeing them once again as the dominant force in the region. Successes against the Fort Frost Guard only reinforced that image, seeing Vexar climb in power. It was now the second largest warband in terms of numbers (after Axoid) and controlled the most territory. This success did come with one price, however. The realtionship between Exaxes and Vexar had begun to weaken after Vexar (III) took power, with his leadership style and approach very different to that of his predecessor. Vexar’s success as Prime warband made them powerful, but yielded nothing for their ling-time allies. If anything, the Exaxes became more marginalised by Vexar’s success. While the two did continue to trade technology, their cooperation decreased over time with the two having less and less to do with each other. This issue did not seem to be of any concern to Vexar (III), however. Instead, he remained focused on solidifying his power base, and ensuring that he and his warband would remain prime. The 2282 convention saw Vexar returned to power, as did then 2285. With Exaxes trying to rebuild their losses after the Flint River War (itself born of a goal to increase their powerbase and become prime), there are many who feel that they will win at the 2288 convention as well. Culture Broadly speaking, the Vexar warband are known as long-term planners. They tend to be objective based thinkers, focusing on the eventual outcome and then determining what would be the best course towards achieving it. This happens on every level, from the overall plans and direction of the warband to the day to day lives of its individual members. This is not to say that the warband’s members are cold or emotionless by any means. They are still driven by human desires; greed, lust, love and whatever else. However, they tend to think more through it then many others would. It is this tendency towards long-term planning that has made then the Prime warband for the last eight years. One sign of the warband’s tendencies towards the long-term comes from their unique form of punishment for those that they see as being redeemable or valuable. A desolate strip of land in the middle of a lake, Marcos Island is used as an exile of sorts for those that have failed the warband for whatever reason. Such an individual is banished to Macros Island to survive on their own for a period determined by the warcheif. Should they survive, their past crimes or failures are completely absolved, and they are welcomed back with open arms. Goals Having become the Prime warband and maintained the position for the last eight years, Vexar (III)’s new goal is to ensure that he remains in the position. He knows full well that he could not just use his power to cancel the elections and install himself as warcheif for life, however; doing such would likely lead to an intercede conflict that would destroy the Decimators or, at least, his warband. Rather, his plan has been to manipulate the other warbands and the situation to ensure that his is the only option. While he had no role in them, the recent losses suffered by the Exaxes during the Flint River war has played perfectly to his hand. This move has served to discourage adventurism and individual actions, while promoting the benefits of unity within the Decimators as a whole. Membership Like the other Decimator warbands, the membership of Vexar is made up solely of humans. A key part of Dexter Malek’s founding mythology, the Decimators consider humans as being the only ones worthy of their supposed ancient and proud traditions. While the Vexar will take ghouls as prisoners and slaves, those captives can never be elevated to becoming full raiders. Conversely, Super Mutants, while rare in Minnesota, are always killed rather then captured, being seen as far to dangerous and hard to control. The Vexar do not keep any robots. While relationships between them and the Exaxes have become strained, the two still do trade back and forth for technology and weapons; as such, any robots the Vexar might find are swapped for more useful technologies. Territories Having started off with humble beginnings, the Vexar warband now controls more territory then any of its rivals. Much of this growth has come about from careful planning and targeted conquests, rather then simple landgrabs, and has been built up over time. With that being said, the Vexar are not immune to opportunism either; they snapped up territories belonging to the Decimaxx after their destruction, and preyed on the crippled Tigon to bolster their own holdings. The warband’s capitol is located at Skull Rock, a fortress constructed outside of the town of Grass Crossing. Built from a pre-war rail yard, the heavy machinery served as the framework for the construction of heavy fortifications to secure the facility. However, due to their position as the prime warband, most of Vexar’s leadership is located at the Citadel. Technology and Equipment Years of trading and careful hoarding of resources has made Vexar the second most technologically advanced of the warbands after Exaxes. This capability is the most publicly demonstrated in their weaponry, with much of the warband being armed with salvaged and restored pre-war weapons. R91 assault rifles, 10mm Submachine guns, 5.56mm machine guns and other similar wepaons predominate in their best equipped groups. Secondary forces still boast capable weapons, such as hunting rifles, combat shotguns and the like. Only the poorest and worst off groups will resort to scratch-built pipe wepaons and the like. This capability is not just limited to weapons. Vexar generally boasts the second best infrastructure and capabilities after Exaxes. Sophisticated machinery such as water purifiers or generators are often found in their outposts, making them more akin to legitimate settlements then raider camps. Notable Members Vexar (III) The current leader of the Vexar Warband and presently the warcheif of the Decimators as a whole, is a man who was immersed in their culture from birth. Thomas Riley was the son of two prominent Vexar members, born in 2230 and raised in their culture. From a young age he showed a keen intelligence and an eye for detail, as well as a drive and degree of ruthless ambition. A consummate planner, Riley did everything he could to ensure his own success. Rumours abounded that he had orchestrated the deaths of several potential rivals, but nothing was ever proven. During the long winter, Riley continued to advance the Vexar Warband’s cause, even as their numbers dwindled and influence waned. Even after he was badly injured in battle, he remained determined, enough so that Vexar (II) soon came to see him as the only option to be her heir. She felt that he had what it would take to not only restore Vexar to their former glory, but then to make them the preeminent power within the Decimators. As Vexar (III) he did not disappoint, having managed to direct control of th Decimators and effectively ensure that Vexar is the only viable option for Prime. Vexar (III) has not shied away from doing whatever he feels is necessary to ensure that Vexar remains the Prime warband. Currently, his main goal is to ensure that Vexar is re-elected to Prime at the 2288 conference. To make sure this happens, he has continued to manipulate the other Warbands behind the scenes to ensue that they have no viable alternatives. And while the recent losses suffered by Exaxes were a coincidence then the result of his planning, they serve his purposes well. Tall and lean, Vexar (III) cuts an imposing figure. The right side of his face is heavily scarred, and his right eye is missing, the result of an incident many years ago that he refuses to discuss. Category:Raiders Category:Groups